


The Monkey Wrench

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:52:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6580114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He couldnt put into words how ecstatic he was that shed come back to</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Monkey Wrench

“How much longer are you going to put a dent in my couch?”

CJ looked up from Newsweek and smiled at Toby. She beckoned him to come closer; he sat beside her on the couch.

“I really appreciate you letting me stay here. Your couch isn’t that comfortable though so I think I’ll just get a room at the Hilton or the Watergate.”

“Did you ever consider going home?” Toby asked.

CJ was quiet for a while, laying the open magazine over her lap.

“I don’t want to go home.” She said. “I don’t know if I ever…”

“You're going to leave Leo because he helped plot the assassination of Abdul Sharif? They killed the bad guy; it is probably not the first time.”

“I’m sick and tired of secrets.” CJ muttered.

“That is exactly what you signed up for.”

“No. As Press Secretary…”

“I’m talking about as Mrs. Leo McGarry. You two have a son together; you need to work it out. As much as I would love to have you and Tim here, I know you need to be with your husband.”

CJ sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

“I need to get some sleep.” She muttered.

“Yeah.”

Toby got up and walked toward the bedroom.

“Will you stay Toby?” she asked.

“That couch is horrible. And I don’t believe it’s in either of our best interests to share a bed tonight.”

“My back is killing me.” CJ complained.

“Good, maybe you'll go home.” Toby replied.

He was smiling. They both knew he wouldn’t mind at all if she and Tim invaded his space. Still, Toby had to remind himself that she was a married woman. A married woman sleeping on his couch dressed in her husband’s silk boxers and his Yankees tee shirt…a real dichotomy.

“Come on Tobus, we can make a pillow barrier like we did when we were stuck sharing a bed on the campaign trail.”

Toby sighed; she knew that he could never say no to her. It wasn’t as if CJ ever asked him for too much.

“Come on, and bring the pillows.”

CJ smiled, climbed off the couch, and followed Toby into the bedroom. She carried the three overstuffed pillows. They got into bed but didn’t create the barrier. Toby put one pillow down to separate their torsos. As long as the lower body parts didn’t touch, everything would be fine. He flicked off the lamp and all CJ could hear in the room was breathing.

“I appreciate you letting me stay here Toby, you know I do.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going back tomorrow because I miss my baby.”

“As well you should. Don’t ostracize Leo for doing his job…that is why he is an excellent Chief of Staff.”

“It is not just the lie; we’ve all been out of the loop at sometime during this damn administration. It’s just that I told you Qumar was a bad place, they insisted on lying down with dogs. Now we have to try to spin this because Danny Concannon is going to run with it.”

“Leo is going to talk to him. He’s…”

“I’m pregnant Toby.” CJ cut him off.

“Oh God.” He could not hide his initial reaction.

CJ turned to look at him, putting her chin on her flat hands.

“Does he know?” Toby asked.

“Do you think he would’ve let me walk out if he knew?”

“Come on CJ, you act like Leo helped you put your suitcase in the trunk. I’m sure he threatened to lie in front of the car.”

CJ shook her head.

“That’s something you would do Toby.” She replied with a smile. “He just looked at me like I shot him in the stomach.”

“How pregnant are you?”

“Ten weeks. I have to make a decision.”

“What? Are you talking about…?”

“God, no. I mean about Leo and I; I’m keeping my baby.”

“You love him.” Toby said. “The both of you risked so much to be together, personally and professionally. Are you going to let it go because he had to keep something from you? He is the father of your children.”

CJ nodded and sighed.

“It must really be tearing you apart to defend him.” CJ said.

“I have done worse. I know how much Leo loves you and he needs you back.”

“I am going back tomorrow.”

“You said it was because you miss Tim. I know you wanted to bring him but it is not fair to drag a baby along.”

CJ did miss Tim, and she missed Leo too. She was still angry, not so much with him as the whole situation. All the constant drama of the Bartlet Administration got old after they won the second election. The first term was an uphill battle, especially after the MS revelation. For some reason Americans still saw fit to reelect Josiah Bartlet. He repaid them by doing more things under cover of darkness, and dragging his Chief of Staff down with him.

After the Sharif assassination was revealed to senior staff, CJ went home and packed a bag. She was waiting on the couch when Leo came home after midnight.

“This looks like déjà vu.” He said. “Don’t do this.”

“I can't look at you right now.” She said.

“That’s fair. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I’m leaving for a while Leo.”

“You are not going to shuffle my son around from hotel suite to hotel suite.”

“Your son? Timothy is upstairs asleep and Mitch knows I’m leaving. We will work out a more permanent solution soon.”

“Permanent? You’re going to divorce me now?”

“You are being too cynical for us to really have this conversation.”

“Where are you going? Toby’s?”

CJ nodded.

“I love you Claudia Jean. I think it is important to say that.”

She walked out without another word and they managed for the past week to work together on very shaky ground. Now Toby held her as she silently cried on her sleep.

***

After the 12:30 briefing CJ walked over to Leo’s office. She stood in front of Margaret’s desk.

“Is he in?” she asked.

“He’s having lunch.” Margaret replied, pushing the intercom button. “Leo?”

“Yeah.”

“CJ is here.”

“Yeah.”

CJ walked into his office and closed the door. For the first time in a week she really looked at him.

“You look awful.” She said.

“If you came here to pick a fight, please just turn and leave.” He replied. “I want to eat my lunch in peace…relative peace.”

The chill in his voice caught CJ off guard. She did not know if she deserved it but she knew she did not like it. Sitting down in his visitor’s chair, she took a deep breath.

“You were late this morning.” He said, not looking up from his turkey on rye.

“I was with Tim; I lost track of time.”

“He misses you CJ. He is crying all the time.”

“I know. I’m coming home tonight.”

There was a pause as Leo ate his sandwich.

“Toby’s couch finally killed your back?” he asked.

“I slept in his bed last night. I’m not telling you that to make your blood boil, I’m telling because I tell you everything.”

“Anything else you want to tell me about you and Toby in his bed last night?”

CJ’s eyes widened.

“Leo!” she exclaimed. “That was…inappropriate.”

He cleared his throat.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. Tim will be glad that his mother is back; and so will I.”

There was more silence and CJ hated it. She hated even more that she did not know what to say or do to fill the gaps.

“I should be the one to say I’m sorry.” She said. “I should have stayed and talked instead of walking out on you. I love you Leo, and I'm not angry with you anymore. I know there are things that I am not privy to; I’m used to that. I cannot expect special treatment because you are my husband.”

“You know that I hate keeping things from you.” He said. “You had a right to be angry though I never expected you to walk out on me. We took vows.”

“I hold those vows dearly…I just needed some time.”

“You didn’t even call.”

“I know.” CJ nodded, close to tears. “I’m sorry.”

“I missed you.” Leo said.

He got up from the desk and embraced her. CJ’s relaxed her body against his and Leo inhaled her scent, getting lost in her. She ran her fingers through his hair and down the nape of his neck.

“Don’t ever leave me again.” He whispered as he pulled her tighter. “I would rather scream and shout and duck blows than to go through the hell I have the past week. You walked out on me.”

“For better or for worse; in sickness and in health.” She replied.

“To love and cherish until death us do part.” He said.

He kissed her; CJ opened her mouth to allow his tongue entry. Margaret came over the intercom again but when she got no reply she figured the McGarrys were making up. That was terrific because Leo had been unbearable the past couple of days.

“We’ll finish this later at home.” CJ said.

She massaged the nape of his neck with her finger. Leo loved and missed her touch.

“We still need to talk.” He said.

“I know there are things I need to tell you but I have to go now.”

He kissed her once more and they CJ went to the door.

“Claudia Jean?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t ever leave me again.”

She nodded, smiled, and walked back to the press bullpen.

***

“Henry, its weather, not rocket science.” CJ said into her cell phone. “The President likes the Rose Garden. If it does rain we will keep the Mural Room open. OK, I’m going to play with my son. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Mitch and Tim were in the kitchen when CJ walked in. She immediately took her son into her arms.

“He has just been fed and had a diaper change.” Mitch said. “I’m glad you're back CJ.”

“Did Leo drive you bananas?” she asked as Tim started to yank on the buttons of her blouse.

“He is a morose one, isn’t he?”

CJ smiled.

“Sometimes. I walked out on him Mitch; you could not expect sweetness and light.”

“I guess not. If you were my wife I would have withered and died.”

CJ smiled again, telling him he was sweet.

“Take off the rest of the night.” She said. “It is going to be quiet around here.”

“OK. I’ll be back around midnight.” He said.

CJ nodded. The nanny clucked Tim under the chin and went out the back door.

“Hello my darling.” CJ said, holding the baby at arm’s length. “Did you miss mommy, did you?”

Tim laughed and drooled…it looked as if the answer was yes.

“Did daddy change any crappy diapers?” she asked as she reached in the refrigerator for a Diet Coke. “He and Mitch as roomies must have been a sight to behold. I am so sorry I left you baby. I wanted to take you to Uncle Toby’s but that was a fight that none of us had the strength for. Please forgive me.”

She kissed him. Tim playfully slapped her cheek.

“Its you and me tonight kid…what should we eat?”

A quick run of the kitchen proved that the McGarrys had little more than infant formula and potato chips. There was ancient Chinese in the fridge that CJ wouldn’t even eat on one of Josh’s dares. She dialed Pizza Hut and got pizza, wings, and soda for Leo. She was really going to have to go to the grocery store this weekend. Sometimes she forgot that being domestic, at least part-time, was a requirement. She would drag Leo just to piss him off.

She went into the den with Tim and bypassed CNN in favor of the classic cartoon channel. They were playing Tom and Jerry.

“Oh you are going to love these guys Tim.”

She sat him in his carryall chair. He seemed excited to have her back, waving his hands and drooling like crazy. CJ bent to kiss his cheek. In true mother form, she used her blouse to wipe his mouth.

“When granddad sees you in two weeks he is going to be so surprised by how big you’ve gotten.”

CJ’s father’s health was still sliding downward; she never failed to cry after visiting him at the nursing home in Dayton. The last time she went with Tim though, his eyes lit up and she saw glimpses of the strong man he once was…that made her cry even more.

“I hope he is just as proud of your baby brother or sister as he is of you.” She whispered.

Tim reached out to grab her breast and CJ laughed.

“You are just like your father.” She said.

***

Tim was sound asleep when Leo came in at 10:30. CJ gorged herself on pizza and watched _Shadowlands_ on cable without crumbling into a ball of emotional disarray. Now she was in bed watching CNN on low volume while reading the Metro section of the Post…hopefully something good was happening in DC this weekend.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t intend on staying as late as I did. We had to sit down with Berryhill and Hutchinson to talk about the Mideast peace talks. It…”

CJ held up her hand. Leo nodded.

“I’m sorry baby. Where’s Mitch?”

“I sent him out with some friends.” CJ replied. “He already knows that we are going to have makeup sex, I would never put him through the torture of having to listen to it.”

“That was very altruistic of you CJ.” Leo replied.

He sat at the end of the bed, pulling off his shoes and socks. CJ crawled up and wrapped her arms around his chest. Leo rubbed her hands, taking a deep breath. He couldn’t put into words how ecstatic he was that she’d come back to him. It did not seem plausible that she would really leave him; they’d survived so much. His pride, as well as his kneecaps, kept him from throwing himself at her feet when she walked out the door. She must have been livid or she never would have left Tim otherwise.

“Are you naked?” he asked, wearing a hopeful grin that she could not see. She still knew it was there.

CJ slid under his arm, resting her back on his thighs.

“See for yourself.” She said.

Hmm, a camisole and panties…close enough. Leo traced around her nipple with his finger. CJ closed her eyes.

“The door is open.” She whispered.

“Tim is not walking in baby; don’t break my concentration.”

When her nipple pressed against the cotton Leo bent his mouth to it, biting gently. CJ arched her back and moaned. He pulled away to lift the camisole over her head. She went back to the top of the bed, calling him to her with her finger. He took off his tie on the way up. His belt dug into the skin of CJ’s torso when Leo held her tight.

“Ow, ow Leo.”

“What?”

“The belt.”

He took it off and threw it on the floor. CJ pulled up her knees as he settled his body between her thighs.

“I love when you’re naked.” He whispered in her ear.

Their lovemaking was slow, as if the week apart made them forget each other’s bodies. She studied his face as she sat on top of him, her body tightening around him. He thrust into her and relished in her sounds of ecstasy, remembering thinking that he night never hear them again. They climaxed together and she lay on top of him. Leo rubbed the small of her back as they just breathed and listened to their twin heartbeats.

“I hate fighting with you CJ. I thought we had gotten past the fact that I would have to keep secrets from you.”

“We have. We are supposed to be the good guys.” She slid off top of him and into his arms. “If we would have just declared Sharif the monster that he was instead of lying down with him for a damn strategic air base no one would have seen a problem with getting rid of him. It wouldn’t seem like we were sweeping another Bartlet lie under a rug. I know why it was done; I don’t have to like it.”

Leo nodded. He caressed her cheek and she smiled.

“I know the whole Qumar situation bothered you.” He said.

“Let’s not talk about that anymore.”

“OK.”

She drew little loops all over his stomach with her finger. CJ promised herself that she would never leave his arms again. The sometime irrationalities of the Bartlet Administration would never again put a monkey wrench in her marriage. She would work harder at it than the President.

“You mean everything to me Claudia Jean. You, Mallory, and Tim. You know that right?”

“And Charlie too Leo.” CJ replied.

He sat up a bit, turning to look at her. That was when he realized that the TV and the lights were still on. He turned everything off, threw the covers over them, and looked at his wife.

“What’s Charlie got to do with it baby?” he asked.

“Our Charlie. I’m pregnant.”

“How long have you known?”

“A couple of days. I’m almost out of the first trimester.”

He instinctively pressed his hand on her abdomen. CJ smiled, burying her face in his neck.

“Here we go again, huh?” he said.

She nodded.

“No dangerous trips to Belarus this time.” She replied.

“I’m not leaving you. Are you feeling OK?”

“A bit sick sometimes. Mostly jubilant…we’re having another baby.”

He pulled her close, kissing her lips softly. He wished he could put his joy into words but it was too difficult right now. She was home, she was pregnant, and that was enough.

***


End file.
